Daily sleep norm. Healthy human sleep: meaning and basic rules. A sleepy athlete is not an athlete

Sleep is a vital necessity for humans. You can do without it for only a short time; after 5 days without sleep, irreversible processes are launched in the body, which as a result can lead to death.

So how much sleep does an adult need per day to always be in good shape?

A dream or a third of life

Babies sleep up to 20 hours a day. With age, the need for sleep gradually decreases and reaches an average of 7 - 8 hours every 24 hours. But this amount is about a third of a day! This means that people spend about a third of their entire lives sleeping.

And this is not a waste of time:

• in sleep, the body rests, strength is restored, tension is relieved;
• the brain “processes” all the information from the past day, and it is in a dream that the material being studied is memorized;
• in this state, the body heals from viral and colds, and the immune system is strengthened;
• a person adapts to the change of day and night.

Important fact! A night's rest gives not only relaxation and health.

Sleep preserves beauty and youth for those who monitor compliance with sleep and wakefulness

Knowing the benefits of sleep and how much sleep a child and an adult need per day, it becomes clear that people need to try to do everything to make this time pass as efficiently and comfortably as possible.

What destroys healthy sleep

First, information about what negatively affects sleep:

• Disruption of the natural rhythm of sleep caused by nature. Such violations include, for example, night shifts, when a person is forced to work at night and rest during the day.
• Disturbance in sleep duration.

Lack of sleep is manifested by lethargy, irritability, increased anxiety, decreased attention and concentration, increased incidence of diseases (colds, acute respiratory infections, etc.) and even weight gain.

If you sleep more than necessary, you also feel lethargic, weak, you may have a headache, and it becomes difficult to concentrate.

• Violation of the temperature regime also negatively affects the quality of night's rest.
• An uncomfortable mattress or pillow can impair circulation, which can make sleep less rewarding.
• Bright light and extraneous sounds will not allow a person to get enough sleep, as a result of which all the signs of lack of sleep will appear.
• Eating a large meal shortly before bedtime will cause the stomach to work at night, which will prevent the body from getting quality rest.

How much sleep should a person sleep?

How much sleep a person needs per day depends on a number of indicators: age (child, adult or elderly), gender, degree of fatigue, and so on. As mentioned above, adults require an average of 8 hours of sleep per day. But different age categories require different times.

Based on research results, scientists have concluded that sleep standards for each age are as follows:

• Newborns up to 4 months sleep on average 17 hours or more;
• Infants aged 4 months to 1 year sleep approximately 12 – 15 hours of sleep;
• in children of the second year of life, sleep ranges from 11 to 14 hours;
• from 2 to 5 years – at least 10 – 11 hours;
• Children under 13 years old should sleep from 9 to 11 hours;
• for adolescents under 17 years old – from 8 to 10 hours;
• adults require 8 - 9 hours of night rest;
• older people (over 65 years old) sleep 7-8 hours.

Note! In old people, the natural rhythm of sleep changes, periods of sleep and dozing become shorter, but more often the duration of night rest decreases, and the need arises to take a nap during the day.

The information in this section about how long a person sleeps can help you create a healthy sleep schedule. It is often difficult for an adult to schedule his daily activities in such a way that he can allocate as much time for proper rest as he needs to sleep at his age. However, this is something to strive for.

When to go to bed: time intervals during which the body rests more

There is no doubt that going to bed and falling asleep are very important for a good night's rest. Only adherence to the regime can bring the most tangible results.

You need to go to bed before 24 hours, even better - at 22 hours

At this time, the number of leukocytes in the human body increases and body temperature decreases. The body gives the command - it’s time to go to bed. This is expressed in drowsiness: brain activity decreases, the person begins to yawn, the sensitivity of the sensory systems decreases, a burning sensation in the eyes appears, and the eyelids stick together.

If you ignore these signals from the body, then you are unlikely to feel good in the morning - the body will not be able to fully experience all the positive effects of sleep. The morning will be late, and the state will be broken.

It is believed that sleep is most beneficial between 10 pm and 2 am.. Regardless of the circumstances, during these hours a person needs to be in bed and sleep, because the processes occurring in the body at this time cannot be started at another time. As a result, both the physical and mental state of a person will suffer.

Basic rules for healthy sleep

For a correct approach to organizing a sleep schedule, information about how much sleep an adult needs per day is not enough.

Other factors also play a role.

• Daily regime. Healthy, sound sleep presupposes fairly strict adherence to the daily routine - going to bed and getting up at the appointed time, which means that the amount of time allotted for sleep will be constant. This rule also applies to weekends - on Saturdays and Sundays you also need to follow the daily routine.
• There is no need to stay in bed after waking up. You should prepare yourself for the fact that immediately after awakening there is a rise. Lying for a long time can result in falling asleep again, and, as you know, extra sleep will not bring any benefit.

• Ritual before bed. About an hour before bedtime, you should indulge in some quiet activity. It's best to do certain things before going to bed every night that will eventually become associated with sleep, for example, taking a short walk or reading a book at night. Any situation that causes excitement should be avoided.
• Avoid daytime naps if you have trouble falling asleep.
• Remove the computer and TV from the bedroom. The time spent here should only be spent sleeping and having sex.
• Don't eat before bed. The break between dinner and night rest should be at least 2 hours, even better if it is 4 hours. If hunger is very strong, then you can eat something light, for example, an apple or drink kefir.

• Relaxing treatments will help you fall asleep easier and have better rest.
• Moderate physical activity while awake will also help you fall asleep and stay asleep faster.
• In the evening, it is not recommended to drink alcoholic beverages or coffee, or smoke cigarettes. These not the most healthy habits have a bad effect on both sleep and the health of the human body as a whole.

How to get ready for bed

Having determined how much sleep an adult needs per day, you should decide how to do it correctly.

The organization of the process of falling asleep must be taken seriously; it is important to begin preparation in advance.

• You should not eat at night; dinner is best planned 4 hours before bedtime, in exceptional cases - 2 hours. If after dinner the feeling of hunger appears again, then you should not eat; you are only allowed to drink a cup of herbal tea with honey or a glass of kefir.
• In addition to the usual hygiene procedures, a contrast shower is recommended at night, which will help reduce the stress that has accumulated during the day.

• Before going to bed, it is not recommended to watch TV, especially movies and shows that cause anxiety, and you should not sit at the computer. About an hour before bedtime, you should give up these entertainments.
• Before going to bed, it is useful to ventilate the bedroom, which will help you fall asleep easily and have a good night's sleep; fresh air is generally good for health.
• For healthy, sound sleep, it is important that the room is sufficiently dark and quiet; if these conditions are difficult to achieve, you can use earplugs and special night glasses.
• A relaxing massage, which you can do yourself, will help make it easier to fall asleep and make your sleep more restful and sound.
• Sleeping best and healthiest is without clothes, so you should get into the habit of sleeping naked.
• You should go to bed in a calm state, for this you need to complete all the tasks planned for the day, let go of all problems, at least until the morning.

Eating before bed

It was already mentioned above how many hours before going to bed an adult should have dinner, but it is equally important to correctly distribute the diet throughout the day and prepare the right foods for the evening meal.

Firstly, you should forget about strict restrictions on food intake after 18 hours - Going to bed hungry is bad for both health and good sleep. This means that in matters of nutrition you should adhere to the “golden mean” - do not overeat and do not starve.

Secondly, for dinner it is best to eat light foods that do not cause heaviness and discomfort in the stomach. Protein products are good, especially if they contain casein, which takes longer to digest than other proteins. For the last meal of the day, fish, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese, seafood, vegetable salad, etc. are suitable.

You should avoid the following foods in the evening: flour and sweets, pork, nuts, potatoes, any cereals and pasta.

There is an opinion that it is most beneficial to sleep with your head facing north. Is it so?

There is no clear scientific opinion on this matter, but this statement is supported by one of the Chinese teachings of Feng Shui, which is very popular all over the world. The benefit is explained by the fact that the electromagnetic field of each person is like a compass, in which the head is north and the legs are south.

Consequently, if the electromagnetic field of the body coincides with the same field of the planet, then the person is filled with strength and energy, he is happy, his sleep is strong and healthy, and awakening is easy.

How to learn to wake up early

There is a lot to be said about the benefits of getting up early. The most important thing is the opportunity to do more things, because in the early morning the human body has a high efficiency.

At first you need to decide how many hours of sleep per day is best for a particular person(adults most likely know their norm) and when to get up in the morning. The time at which you need to go to bed in order to get enough sleep will depend on these data.

So, your sleep schedule is set, now it's time to think about what goals will get you out of bed early in the morning. Businessmen can do this by knowing how much business value can be done during the morning hours. People who pay increased attention to their health can spend their free time on sports. Everyone must determine why they need to get up early.

Rise Ritual

The following points can be highlighted:

• To make it easier to get out of bed, you need to create conditions in the house under which getting up will be comfortable. For this, the temperature regime in the room is important: in a stuffy room it will be difficult to wake up, and in a cold room it will be difficult to force yourself to leave a warm bed.
• For those who cannot get out of bed in the early hours on their own in the morning, many devices have been invented, the simplest of which is an alarm clock. But it must be at such a distance that it is necessary to reach it.

Modern technologies have gone much further - the latest innovations include a bed that resets its owner if he does not get up on time, and a computer program that begins to format the hard drive if you do not enter a rather long password.

• Some people may prefer the idea of ​​waking up with the help of family or friends. To do this, you should agree with them in advance about a phone call at the right time, unless, of course, they themselves are not sleeping at such an early hour.
• Immediately after getting up, you can, for example, take a shower and then drink hot coffee. If certain activities become a daily ritual, waking up early will be easier.
• The rise time should not change.
• You can come up with an individual system of rewards and penalties for successful and unsuccessful getting up in the morning. For example, during a week of getting up without delays, you can treat yourself to a trip to a cafe, and punish yourself for problems with an extra 5 km on the treadmill.

Formation of new habits occurs within about 2 weeks

After this time, you will not need to make any effort to follow the advice.

Sleep is a third of every person’s life; the quality of life, health and mood, the amount of energy and the ability to concentrate on important things depend on its quality. Therefore, it is so important to know how much sleep an adult needs per day in order to remain alert all day.

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Rules for healthy sleep. Watch the medical video consultation:

Scientists have found that teenagers aged 14 to 18 years need to sleep 8.5-9.5 hours. During sleep, children rest their body, brain and restore strength after physical and mental stress. If a child does not get enough sleep, he will soon become lethargic, irritable and inattentive. Its performance will decrease by 30%.

How much sleep does a 14 year old teenager need?

There is no single sleep standard for teenagers. Research by American and Swedish scientists has proven that children of a certain age have different needs for rest.

Sleep patterns in adolescents aged fourteen during the day and night

Children don't think about the fact that lack of sleep can lead to serious problems. 14-year-olds should have the same sleep schedule every day.

Teach your child to go to bed at 10-11 pm and wake up at 7 am.

And when a tired teenager comes home from school, he can regain his strength by sleeping between 15:00 and 16:00.

Duration of sleep in fourteen-year-old children during the day and night

Of course, teenagers should have not only night sleep, but also daytime sleep. At night, 14-year-olds may need 8 hours of sleep instead of the required 9.5. But soon your child may become nervous and tired.

Children should spend 30-45 minutes on daytime rest. This time is enough to relieve fatigue, gain strength and go to additional classes or training.

Sleep disturbance in a 14 year old child: causes

• Doctors are confident that modern children are disrupting their sleep patterns because they spend a lot of time at the computer or TV, watching movies or TV shows.
• In addition, many teenagers fall asleep with headphones in their ears while listening to music tracks. Limit your child from these activities before bed.
• Drugs containing caffeine that stimulate performance can disrupt sleep.
• Poor sleep can also be caused by illness, such as breathing problems. It is worth seeing a doctor to find out if your child is sick.
• In addition, a hard sleeping bed or a stuffy room can affect your sleep.

A 14-year-old child constantly sleeps: why?

The main reason in adolescence is- both mental and physical. Many parents complain that their children sleep a lot during the day when they come home from school. There are frequent cases when 14-year-olds wake up for dinner and then go to bed to sleep until the morning.

Also, the reason for the constant desire to sleep can be disease . It can go unnoticed.

For example, some diseases of the ENT organs cause lethargy, malaise and occur without high fever. It is worth seeing a doctor and taking the necessary tests.

How much sleep does a 15 year old need to sleep?

Children at the age of 15 are very active; they attend not only school classes, but also clubs. In order not to lag behind in development and to restore physical and mental abilities in time, adolescents must sleep.

Let's consider how the rest process should proceed for 15-year-olds.

Proper sleep schedule for children aged 15

A 15-year-old child completely refuses daytime sleep. But there are teenagers who relax at lunch when they come home from school. Daytime sleep occurs approximately from 15 to 16 hours.

A proper night's sleep schedule varies from 10-11 pm to 7 am. As a rule, children wake up for school at this time.

How long should a teenager sleep during the day and at night?

The duration of daytime sleep depends on the load. However, children should not sleep for more than 30-45 minutes. It has been established that this time is enough for rest.

And the duration of night sleep is less than that of 14-year-olds, although not by much. 15-year-olds should sleep 9 hours at night.

Causes of poor sleep in a child aged fifteen

Sleep disturbances in a 15-year-old child can begin for several reasons.

• Wrong sleeping place.
• Getting used to the lying position. Teenagers often spend a lot of time lying in bed. The body begins to get used to the lying position, and at the right time it is not prepared for sleep. In this case, it will be difficult for the child to fall asleep.
• Listening to music or watching movies at night.
• Computer games.
• Disease.
• Preparations containing caffeine.
• Stuffy room.

A 15-year-old child constantly sleeps: why?

Of course, many children set their own sleep schedule at age 15. Some people say that seven hours is enough for them to sleep.

Parents, know that this is not true! Your child, after 1-2 months of this regime, will begin to sleep, and he will want to sleep constantly. Explain to him that his physical and emotional state depends on the correct schedule and duration of rest.

The cause of lack of sleep can also be a disease occurring in the child’s body. See a doctor and get at least some general tests.

How much and how should a 16-year-old teenager sleep?

Children at 16 often begin their independent lives while attending college. Teenagers build their own daily routine, despite the norms of sleep and wakefulness.

Parents should tell their teenager how much sleep he should have so that he feels good and his brain activity is one hundred percent.

Sleep patterns in adolescents aged sixteen years at night and during the day

The correct night sleep schedule for children aged 16 is as follows: the child should fall asleep from 10 to 11 pm and wake up from 6 to 7 am. Adhering to this regime, teenagers will feel great, they will have enough strength to attend additional classes and various workouts.

As a rule, 16-year-olds refuse to nap during the day.

Sleep duration in a 16 year old child

A teenager aged sixteen should sleep 8 hours and 45 minutes, with the rest period falling at night.

Long sleep or, conversely, too short sleep can cause nervousness, fatigue, inattention and decreased ability to work.

A 16-year-old teenager sleeps poorly or does not sleep: why?

Let's list the causes of sleep disturbance.

• Wrong sleeping place. For example, there may be a hard mattress or a large pillow.
• Illness, feeling unwell, difficulty breathing, etc.
• Medicines that improve performance.
• The influence of technical items, say, a telephone, a computer, a laptop, a player.
• The habit of lying on the bed. Scientists have found that the body quickly gets used to the lying position. If a teenager often lies on the bed, it will be difficult for him to fall asleep in the evening.
• Stressful state.
• Stuffiness in the room.

Why does a 16-year-old teenager constantly sleep during the day?

Parents assure each other that there is no reason why children cannot sleep during the day. At the age of 16, a child should completely give up daytime naps. Why does your teenager sleep a lot during the day?

• My sleep pattern is out of whack.
• Disease.

Features of sleep of a teenager aged seventeen

At this age, children begin to establish their own daily routine. And those who live separately from their parents may adhere to an irregular sleep-wake schedule.

Parents should pay attention to their child and convince him that a certain regime is required for the normal functioning of the teenager’s body.

Sleep patterns in adolescents aged 17 at night and during the day

Children at 17 years old refuse to nap during the day. The main rest should come at night.

Correct sleep schedule: from 10-11 pm to 6-7 am. If the sleep schedule is not the same, parents should sound the alarm and find a way to convince the child that he needs a night's rest.

Duration of sleep in a 17 year old child

A teenager at this age should sleep 8 hours and 30 minutes. Of course, this time can be reduced to eight full hours, but doctors do not advise doing this.

Eight hours of sleep can be left if the child feels well. With 8-8.5 hours of rest, a 17-year-old teenager should accumulate a lot of strength and energy, which he can spend on studying at school/college/university or playing sports.

Why does a 17 year old child sleep poorly during the day or at night?

A student's sleep can be disrupted in a number of cases.

• If the room is not ventilated before going to bed.
• Due to the fact that the teenager was faced with many educational problems, as a result of which physical, emotional stress or a stressful state appeared.
• If the child is sick and does not feel well.
• When your child is used to falling asleep in front of a laptop, TV or phone.
• Due to improper sleeping place, for example, hard mattress, large pillow.
• If a teenager uses drugs containing caffeine or substances that increase performance.

Why does a child sleep a lot at 17 years old?

A teenager may sleep a lot due to improper sleep patterns. If a teenager does not go to bed at night or sleeps less than 8 hours, his emotional and physical state will be on the verge of a breakdown.

Parents note that after 1-2 months of an incorrect sleep schedule, the child becomes nervous, irritable, loses interest in activities that he was interested in before, and develops fatigue and drowsiness.

Also, the reason for the constant desire to sleep can be increased workload. The student may be subject to workload at the educational institution.

In addition, a teenager can attend sports clubs or dance classes and spend his energy on them.

How many hours of sleep does an 18 year old teenager need?

Young people of this age often begin to live independently. They set their own sleep and wakefulness patterns, so it is sometimes difficult for them to live by certain rules.

18-year-old boys and girls do not think about sleep standards at all; their heads are occupied with other issues. At night they live in games, the Internet and social networks, and then they sleep until lunch or, when they come home from school, until the evening.

Features of daytime and night sleep in an eighteen-year-old student

A child aged 18 years should go to bed at 10-12 pm and wake up at 6-7 am. Of course, not everyone follows this schedule. But it is worth recognizing that it is from 22-23 hours that the peak of drowsiness occurs.

The earlier a student wakes up in the morning, the better he will feel. To strengthen the body of an 18-year-old, you can add morning exercises to your daily routine.

During the day or at lunchtime, as a rule, children of this age do not sleep.

How much should a student sleep during the day and at night at 18 years old?

The approximate duration of sleep for a teenager is 7-8 hours. How much sleep? The young man must decide for himself.

Some people divide this time into night and day. For example, they sleep 6 hours at night, and rest for the remaining 2 hours at lunchtime. But doctors advise refraining from daytime sleep.

Why does a teenager sleep poorly or not sleep at all: reasons

A child may not sleep well or not sleep at all for a number of reasons.

• If your sleep and wakefulness patterns are out of whack.
• Frequent stress - both physical and mental.
• Stuffy room. It is worth ventilating the room before going to bed.
• If he has an uncomfortable sleeping place. There may be a hard mattress or a large pillow.
• A disease that goes unnoticed.
• Alcohol consumption.
• Treatment with medications containing caffeine or performance enhancing substances.
• Using technology before bed: laptop, phone, TV.
• Experienced stress.

Why does a teenager sleep a lot at 18?

What are the causes of drowsiness or frequent sleep?

• Loads: mental and physical.
• Lack of sleep and improper sleep patterns.
• Disease.

We'll sleep it off in the next world!

People's Hope

Indeed, why spend approximately a third of your life sleeping if the “lost” time can be used for good purposes? For example, announce on the grid: “Go! I created! Or read the summary. In the first case, we play and relax the brain, and in the second, we enrich it. It would seem like a profit! But it says the opposite: lack of sleep does not give the brain proper rest and leads to a decrease in cognitive functions, worsening reactions and memory lapses.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that people cannot soberly assess the weakening of their mental and physical abilities, believing that they are in optimal condition. Thus, a sleep-deprived person begins to lose at least in front of himself, but who sleeps normally. Lost hours of sleep are sure to have a negative impact on both the professional and personal life of every person.

You've probably heard that the average amount of sleep for an adult varies around 7-8 hours every day. Is it really? Maybe you need to add a little or, conversely, subtract? How much sleep do you need in childhood, adolescence and adolescence? The answers to these questions are presented in a detailed study of the American National Sleep Foundation (USA), a non-profit organization with a 25-year history of studying sleep-related phenomena.

A group of 18 researchers studied more than 300 (!) scientific papers in the field of sleep and based on them made a number of conclusions about the norm of rest.

This is the first time that any professional organization has developed age-specific sleep duration recommendations based on a rigorous systematic review of the global scientific literature regarding the effects of sleep duration on health, productivity and safety.

Charles Czeisler, professor at Harvard Medical School

As expected, the younger the person, the more sleep his body needs to rest. Thus, newborns should sleep up to 2/3 of the day, while seven hours will be enough for older people.

The report by Charles and his colleagues confirms the previously stated framework of 7-9 hours of daily sleep. Of course, this is an average figure, which some will find too exaggerated, such as supporters. But science does not have reliable information confirming the safety of such recreational techniques.

But scientists boldly say that. Stick to the norm, and your remaining 15–17 hours of wakefulness will be marked by quality, benefit and pleasure!

But what to do if sleep doesn’t come? Find out how to get rid of insomnia.

Officially, doctors believe that a person should sleep about eight hours a day. According to doctors, if an individual spends more or less time on night rest, this may negatively affect his health. However, many researchers still adhere to a slightly different point of view. In their opinion, the answer to the question of how much sleep a person should have is strictly individual. In this case, everything depends primarily on the physical characteristics of the body of a particular person, his character and personal qualities.

A good night's rest: two examples from history

It is believed that active people, sanguine and choleric people, usually need less time to sleep than phlegmatic and melancholic people. Napoleon, for example, when asked how much sleep a person should sleep a day, once answered: “4 hours for a man, 5 hours for a woman and 6 hours for an idiot.” Leonardo da Vinci never spent any time sleeping at night. To rest, he simply went to bed for 15-20 minutes every three hours. That is, this great man spent no more than 3 hours a day sleeping.

Scientists have already conducted a very interesting experiment in our time. They found a volunteer who agreed to try Leonardo da Vinci's system on himself. For six months this man slept for 20 minutes once every three hours. At the end of the experiment, it was noted that the biological functions of the subject were absolutely not affected. The mental activity of this person also remained normal during the experiment.

So how much sleep do you need?

Finding the answer to this question for yourself will not be difficult. First, you just need to try to sleep for a couple of weeks as doctors advise. That is, strictly 7-8 hours a day. Although the time needed to sleep is an individual concept, these figures can be considered an average. Most people need this much time to get a good night's rest.

To determine the optimal sleep time, you should carefully monitor the condition of your body throughout the two weeks of the self-conducted experiment. If, after spending 7-8 hours sleeping, you feel lethargic, have a headache, etc., simply try increasing or decreasing this time. In the end, by experience you will definitely be able to determine how many hours you need for a good night's rest.

How much sleep should a person have per week?

If a person needs to spend approximately 8 hours sleeping per day, then it turns out that he needs to sleep 7x8 = 56 hours per week. If you personally have to spend more or less time on your night's rest, you will just need to perform the same simple calculation yourself.

In any case, it’s still worth calculating the time needed for a night’s rest not by weeks, but by days. If, for example, on Monday you sleep for 3 hours at night, and on Tuesday you try to “get” the missing time by sleeping for 13 hours, you still won’t get proper rest. The fact is that one of the absolute conditions for a cheerful mood during the day is adherence to a sleep schedule. That is, no matter how many hours you need to rest at night, you should try to go to bed and get up at strictly defined hours.

Sleep takes up a third of our life. If you live 90 years, you will sleep 30 of them. This condition is the subject of research by many scientists around the world. So let's study this issue together and answer the main question: how much sleep do you need to get enough sleep? First, let's figure out what phases our sleep consists of.

slow sleep

Occurs immediately after falling asleep. Consists of four stages. The total duration of the Non-REM phase is about 90 minutes. Breathing is calm, even, blood pressure decreases, the eyes first make slow movements and then remain motionless, the brain is inactive, the body is relaxed. You rest and restore your physical strength.

REM sleep

Follows slow-wave sleep and lasts from 10 to 20 minutes. The temperature and pressure rise, the heart beats faster. The body is immobilized, with the exception of the muscles responsible for heartbeat and breathing. Under closed eyelids, rapid movements are made by the eyeballs (hence the name REM). The brain is actively working. You are dreaming.

Non-REM and REM phases alternate with each other. First, you go into slow-wave sleep and go through all its stages. This takes about 90 minutes. Then comes the REM sleep phase. The first time it is short, no more than 5 minutes. This circle is called the sleep cycle. The cycles repeat. At the same time, the proportion of slow-wave sleep decreases and the duration of fast sleep increases (up to 1 hour). A healthy person usually goes through five sleep cycles at a time.

What are the dangers of lack of sleep?

Lack of sleep impairs the functioning of certain parts of the brain. For example, there is inhibition of neural processes in the parietal lobe, which can cause problems with reaction speed. And when the prefrontal cortex slows down, it is difficult for a person to formulate thoughts, and there may be problems with vision. Brain fatigue results in a whole bunch of negative consequences.

Long-term sleep deprivation can cause serious health problems: the risk of developing heart and vascular diseases and diabetes. However, there are people who consider sleep a waste of time and deliberately reduce its duration to a minimum.

How to sleep little and get enough sleep?

Polyphasic sleep is a sleep pattern in which sleep time is broken up into several short periods instead of a long rest once a day. At the same time, the total duration of sleep is significantly reduced, and wakefulness increases to 20–22 hours.

Basic modes of polyphasic sleep:

• Dymaxion- four times for 30 minutes every 6 hours. Total - 2 hours.
• Uberman- six times for 20 minutes every 4 hours. Total - 2 hours.
• Everyman- 1.5–3 hours at night and three times for 20 minutes during the day. Total - 2.5–4 hours.
• Tesla- 2 hours at night and 20 minutes during the day. Total - 2 hours 20 minutes.

Polyphasic sleep was practiced by many outstanding personalities: Leonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dali, Nikola Tesla, Bucky Fuller. Among our contemporaries are Yahoo President Marissa Mayer, businessman and billionaire Donald Trump, basketball player Kobe Bryant and others.

However, polyphasic sleep has many critics who claim that sooner or later this irregular schedule will come back to haunt you with problems with the cardiovascular system. Opponents of polyphasic sleep believe that you cannot force the body, you need to listen to your biological clock.
This follows from the very nature of sleep. Remember, under normal conditions we go through five sleep cycles of about 100 minutes each: 100 times 5 and divided by 60 equals about 8 hours.

How much sleep do you need?

The duration of sleep depends on age. The younger a person is, the more sleep he needs. The National Sleep Foundation, an American non-profit organization with 25 years of experience studying this area, makes the following recommendations:

• from 0 to 3 months - 14–17 hours;
• from 4 to 11 months - 12–15 hours;
• from 1 year to 2 years - 11–14 hours;
• from 3 to 5 years - 10–13 hours;
• from 6 to 15 years - 9–11 hours;
• from 14 to 17 years old - 8–10 hours;
• from 18 to 64 years old - 7–9 hours;
• 65 years and over - 7–8 hours.

There is no universal recipe. Sleep duration is like shoe size. 8 hours is suitable for most, but for some this is not enough, and for others it is too much. You can find out how much sleep you need experimentally.

Lifehacks to help make your morning good:

• Stick to a routine. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day according to your internal body clock. Use special tracker apps to study your sleep patterns.
• Create comfortable sleeping conditions. The optimal temperature in the bedroom is 18–21 ºС. Ventilate the room at night. Curtain your windows to prevent glare from outdoor advertising, street lamps, and passing cars from disturbing you. If you are not sleeping alone, discuss with your partner what factors affect your and his sleep, and create comfortable conditions for both.
• Buy a comfortable mattress, pillow and sleep clothes. Change bedding as often as possible. Don't let pets in your bed.
• Don't go to bed on an empty stomach, but don't overeat either. No coffee or alcohol at night.
• Use the bedroom only for sleep and sex. Do not watch TV in bed, do not use a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Light from screens suppresses melatonin production and sleep quality decreases.
• Fill your morning with bright colors and invigorating smells. For example, eat oatmeal from an orange plate and hang citrus pomanders around the house.
• Take care of everything this evening. Iron your clothes, pack your lunchbox, make a plan, and so on. Often you don’t want to get up, because you know how many tedious tasks there are in the morning.

By creating the right morning rituals, you will soon feel how waking up with the first rays of the sun puts you in a creative mood, and you will notice that you no longer need an alarm clock.

Daytime sleep: when, how and where should you take a nap?

The best time for siesta is from 13:00 to 16:00. But the exact hours depend on your routine and biorhythm. For example, if you wake up at 10:00, you are unlikely to want to take a nap just 3 hours later.

Daytime naps take some getting used to. Practice it for several days at the same time. Try to sleep for the same number of minutes. Consider the time it takes to fall asleep. If you pass out 10 minutes before, then to get a full 20-minute nap during the day, you need to set the alarm clock half an hour in advance.

You can take a nap anywhere: in the car, at the table, on the couch. Sleep is short, which means you have almost no risk of getting up with back or neck pain. Ideally, find a quiet place with dim lights. If the office doesn't have one, use a sleep mask and earplugs.